New contract for GP services in Metheringham

NHS England (Central Midlands) has named the new provider of GP services at a Metheringham practice.

Providers were invited to bid to run the services, in line with European law, as it was one of four surgeries with time-limited contracts scheduled to end on Tuesday March 31.

In common with most GP providers the new contract holders who will run the surgeries from Wednesday April 1 are independent businesses, owned and managed by GP partnerships, or other organisations.

Metheringham Surgery on the High Street in Metheringam will be one of three Lincolnshire surgeries to be run by Universal Health Ltd, a partnership between Lincolnshire and District Medical Services and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The other two surgeries are in Gainsborough and Lincoln. Another Lincoln surgery will be run by a GP group from Doncaster.

Registered patients at all four surgeries can continue to use their practices as normal. The locations, telephone numbers for the practices and all existing services and contact details will remain the same. Surgeries will continue to offer the same services to patients using a number of existing staff, but under different supervision.

Di Pegg, Head of Primary Care for NHS England (Central Midlands), said: “The services that registered patients currently receive at all four practices will not change. We have written to each registered patient to introduce their new provider and advise them that they will continue to be included on their practice list, so will not need to take any action.”